Things Aren't the Way They Were Before
by Sushifishie
Summary: Some perspectives of minor characters written after reading each separate volume.
1. Tatsuya & Harumi

DISCLAIMER: I have found yet ANOTHER manga that I will never own. That would be this one! 

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Konichiwa Minna! Here is yet another series of fishe prattle that no one wishes to read. DO IT ANYWAY! Mars is not a manga that a whole lot of people have read yet. I strongly urge everyone to recommend it to their friends and families, because it is a wonderfully comical FLUFFy angst story that I love. This fic is just and idea I had after I read volume 1. It's not long, and it's about Tatsuya and Harumi. Just a bunch of the thoughts that I had when I put myself in their positions. It's not like I AGREE with them or anything, I've just had similar experiences to theirs and feel like I can really relate to their feelings. And yes, I was listening to Linkin Park when I thought up the title. ^_^ 

Things Aren't the Way They Were Before

Tatsuya looked around as he began to pack for his trip to Shinjuku. He put in his swimming trunks and goggles, knowing that he would be swimming in the lake. He was tired of packing. For the entire weekend, he had been scrambling around, trying to get enough clean clothes to pack for his trip. And now, on Sunday morning, he had only 6 hours left before his flight. He still had to say good-bye to everyone. And he certainly wasn't looking forward to seeing the "awkward couple." 

The two of them had no idea how much sadness they had put him through over the past week. First, they had met in the park. Rei hadn't been particularly nice or anything, but Kira seemed enthralled with him by the next day. Of course, that was after Rei had met with her in the art lab after school one day. That was the day he was playing basketball in the pink hair tie. 

Now, Tatsuya had an idea where the tie came from. He was jealous, now, because of it. But it couldn't be helped. He would just never be able to have Kira, and he'd have to watch one of his best friends wrap her around his finger. Because that's basically what he was doing to her. Rei was just receiving and receiving. He had once told Tatsuya, in absolute confidence, that he felt like a gift, just being taken and thrown away once something better and newer came along. Now, he was just a hypocrite. The way he had kissed Kira, then told her it didn't mean anything to him; now that was just cruel. Not just to Kira, he realized, but also to himself. 

Rei was just living a lie, over that week. Too ashamed to admit that he could be falling in love with Kira, he just wouldn't let his pride go. And now, Kira was suffering for it. Oh, how he wanted to kill Rei right now. But that wouldn't solve anything. It would just make Kira hurt even more. 

If Tatsuya could turn back time, to before this week happened, he would. Only a week earlier he had quietly admired Kira from afar; but now, his feelings were not only out in the open, but also in the reject's pile. And that was enough to make his life miserable. To know that the girl you love turned you away for your best friend, who doesn't think that she's anything special... now that's torture. And that's exactly how Tatsuya felt. 

_Things aren't the way they were before_, he thought. _But I'll just have to go and say good-bye to Rei. Might as well go to Kira, too. Let her know not to let Rei try to pull anything on her while I'm gone._

Tatsuya continued packing. _Maybe later..._

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Harumi's thoughts were of the same nature. Only instead of feeling sorry for Rei, she felt sorry for herself. She was next in line for the job of carrying Rei's heart, but then that lowlife had come in and taken it away from her. She had an experience similar to this one before. Her mother was choosing a new apartment a couple of years ago, and an old lady died. She had a spacious enough apartment for her and her mother to live in. But on the day she died, another one of the apartment's residence claimed the apartment as their own. And the one they left was a studio, with no more room than the kitchen in the other apartment. 

But, then, this was also more important than apartments. Harumi had been dreaming about marrying Rei since tenth grade. Kira had hated Rei until just that week. It just wasn't fair. 

She had tried many things to show her position to Rei. She had thrown away the girl's shoes, but he had just given her a ride home, which made them closer. She had bullied the girl a couple of times, but he just asked her if she was all right and continued to hang around her a lot. She had almost smashed the girl's fingers, just to keep her from painting, so that Rei would have nothing to admire her for any longer. But Rei had just come to her rescue and made her fall in love with him. 

Harumi didn't know what to do next. The only thing that she knew was violence. Her mother had put her father's girlfriend in a hospital. She suffered permanent damage, and had broken up with her mother. But that fact didn't get into Harumi's head. For her, it was just monkey see- monkey do. So she wanted to try her best to show Kira her territory and keep her away, using any means possible. Even murder, if it came to that. Then maybe, things would be like they were before Kira had trampled her dreams. 

Harumi went into the kitchen, just as her doctor had instructed, and took a small pill. She went to lie down, and very soon, was fast asleep. When she woke up, she didn't feel the least bit of hatred towards either of them. She was just in a numb bliss. Too paralyzed by the drugs to feel any emotion, even pain. 

AUTHORS NOTE: Well? I don't expect to get a whole lot of reviews, being that this is a very boring and depressing one-shot. And to believe I was in a GOOD mood when I wrote this! If ANYONE reads it, I REALLY hope that you will review. Even if you hate reviewing. Because, when I don't get reviews, I take the fic down. I hope that this wasn't THAT bad. BTW: I made up a bunch of stuff about Harumi, mostly because I don't know all that much about her yet. I'm just waiting for June, so that I can get the next volume. C&C welcome! Arigato! 

~Sushifishie~ 


	2. Rika & Kurasawa

DISCLAIMER: Ummm... I'd love to own Mars... don't sue, fishes don't have money... yeah... 

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I came back with another chapter. I hope that people read Mars, it's currently my favorite manga, although I have only read two volumes and the suspense is killing me. I guess what I'll do is update this every time a new book comes out (I uploaded this chapter a little late, huh?) and pick a couple of characters to discuss. How does this sound? 

Things Aren't the Way They Were Before

Rika laughed her head off as she walked out of the cafeteria. She probably had made that little girl's day miserable. Of course, there was no way that Rei would ever go out with such a goody-goody like her. The rumors were surely only that; rumors. The there was only way such a thing could happen, and that was if he could get with her that easy. She certainly looked like the type, she thought, giggling again. 

The comment about them both being stupid, now, Rika could have lived without that being said. Maybe Rei was stupid, but he could speak for himself. He had no right to call her and idiot! She stopped laughing as she walked into her next class. He wasn't even in any of her classes, so how could he judge that?! He was just lucky that he had even been able to go out with her. 

He's just a stupid junior. Sure, he's one of the most popular guys in school, but I'm one of the most popular girls. That Kira girl was surely just his rebound hussy, and he was still just getting over her. After all, she WAS a hot senior, and it's hard to come back after something like that! 

In the classroom a few weeks later, everyone was excited over Kurasawa's victory in the art competition. He had painted a marvelous masterpiece of a woman and her child. She was looking over someone's shoulder at the newspaper when Rei dashed into the room. 

Rika knew that he'd finally come to hook back up with her. But she'd show him! No one got a second chance, not even a millionaire! She smirked at him, but was surprised when he just shuffled past her. He walked over to Kurasawa and slapped his face. 

That's why he came there. It wasn't for her at all! She pushed past some people crowding at the door with tears welling up in her eyes. WHY? WHY WAS IT LIKE THIS! She hurried into the bathroom, and cried to herself on the John. 

Apparently, she had meant nothing to him at all, just has he hadn't to her, right? Then, why couldn't she just let go? 

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[Kurasawa stared out the window of the hallway. To Rei, he commented with a sad sigh, "Kira told me the story of the drawing." He continued in a somewhat shakey voice, "I feel bad. It's no wonder you were angry." He turned fully and looked Rei. He then proceeded to ask, "You think I'm despicable, don't you?" 

He felt a real sense of pain and remorse as Kurasawa told him, "You said it before, that you don't feel anything for my paintings." 

Without looking up, Rei replied with a simple, "Whatever..." then added, "I don't care about your future. 

Kurasawa stared at him sadly, than said in a quiet voice, "You wouldn't understand the pressure of all these expectations." Rei glanced at him, finally. "Someone like you who does whatever he wants." 

He bore his eyes into Kurasawa and answered with a sinister expression, "So, what are you going to draw next?" He scoffed, "It must be really tough to have everyone expect so much of you. I guess if it gets too tough, you can always steal something again." 

Kurasawa stared the floor as Rei's figure faded from sight.] -- from Mars (volume two) by Fuyumi Soryo. 

Kurasawa looked looked around from the view at the top of the roof. He saw some cheerleaders practicing alongside the soccer game. The players there were so lucky. They had something going for them. Natural talent was all that was required to play sports. But art required inspiration and hard work. 

What are you to do when your inspiration leaves you? 

Kurasawa had never been particularly popular. He was considered the "art freak" and only got brief moments of fame for his accomplishments. It was much easier to make a name for yourself when you have good looks. With just talent, it's especially hard. Look at most famous people. Practically all of them are gorgeous! Ugly people don't have a place in this world. 

Is there really any point in trying if you aren't going to try for anything? At first, he was painting because it was fun. Then, he was happy when he won competitions, because it gave him fame. When he met Rei, though, that changed. 

Rei made his name from his natural good looks. Increasing his popularity was his desire to sleep around. Neither of these things were qualities that Kurasawa had going for him. Really, he didn't even have art going for him. He'd just used someone else's painting and taken the glory for himself. If there was nothing to live for, then what reason was there to live. 

He jumped. 

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Hey, hey! I don't agree with what either of these characters are thinking in my story. I just believe that this is what they WOULD think, maybe. Don't flame, because that makes me feel bad. You are allowed CONSTRUCTIVE critisism though. Just say it in a nice way! Can't wait for #3 to come out!!! Let's all watch for it!!! 

~Sushifishie~ 


	3. Akitaka & Kyoko

DISCLAIMER: No MARS for Sushi unless she pays. boo, boo!  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Thanks for all of your support! I didn't know that people read Mars! Here I was, thinking that I was the ONLY ONE! ^_^ This chapter will be leading us into the interesting worlds of Akitaka and Kyoko, two of my favorite characters. Please enjoy this only fic that I'm continuing to update!  
  
Things Aren't the Way They Were Before by Sushifishie  
  
Groaning, he sat up in the hospital bed. After the accident, he was finally awake from his seemingly never-ending slumber. The picture within his sight was the best one he could ever have hoped to see; Kyoko! She was in a peaceful sleep, breathing in deep breaths and letting them out with a small sigh. It would have been a perfect image, except for her expression. It was one of distress and pain. Like a nightmare was coming true. Akitaka glanced away from his wife and looked at his surroundings. He was in a hospital; that was obvious. It was a single room, white walls, television in the corner, and the table at his side complete with bedpan. Not exactly a very interesting sight, but a natural one at the same time. It wasn't his first time in the hospital, of course. He'd been there for various broken limbs as a child, and a few injuries as a racer. What was his injury this time, he wondered. Checking his arms and stomach, he found nothing but bruises and cuts. Upon not much further investigation, he let out a gasp. His left leg was. not there! From his upper leg down had been amputated, he discovered. Probably the pain killer was what made the feeling so unnoticeable. But the sight was clearly shown to him. Realization can be a horrible thing. What would become of his racing? His life, his happiness, and his love were for racing! Motorcycles were what provided his income and his excitement. Most of his friends were racers, and those that weren't loved watching them. The entire universe revolved around the bikes! How could Akitaka possibly live without them? Grimacing in a sort of panic, he looked around dizzily. His eyes were soon resting on the other reason for his life; Kyoko. She was always worrying about his racing, but then, he was worrying about her, too. They grew to have a mutual understanding, that racing was their favorite thing, and they would have to make allowances for each other. How else would they make it? He smiled. No matter what happened, he'd always have her to rely on. It was a pleasing thought, and one that spoke louder than anything else. He watched that thought wake up and burst into tears of happiness. She walked over to him and threw her arms around his shoulders, sobbing uncontrollably. Thank goodness I have her, he thought. Thank goodness for that!  
  
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Kyoko struggled to remove herself from the bike. When calm strong arms wrapped around her, she calmed down instantly. Accompanying the arms was the familiar smell of aftershave and biker grease that signified her husband. Thankfully, she wrapped her arms around his neck as he pulled her down from the beast. Even though she was in pain, she managed to smile through her tears that Akitaka was there to greet her. He pushed her into a chair and began to inspect her. As if she had told him, he almost instantly found her hand, which desperately needed repair. Her finger was very obviously broken, and would need to be splinted as soon as possible. She knew that a hospital was probably the best place for her at this moment, but she wouldn't abandoned Rei and the race, not before it was finished anyway. No matter how much she pleaded with him, Akitaka continued to keep her grounded. He wouldn't let her go back out on the bike, even if she was completely okay. No chances would be taken for his wife, and no one would hurt her anymore than she already was. So, as she watched the race, he splinted her finger, bracing it so that she could finish watching her partner. He'd passed one, two, ten bikers since he'd gotten back on the bike, but he couldn't get first place. There were still five bikes ahead of him, and his time was running short. No, she'd definitely ruined this chance for Rei. Maybe if he could have had a male partner, he could have handled the bike better than she did. Maybe they would have avoided the spill that she hadn't managed to. Maybe they would have even gotten Rei first place. But, she had ended up being his partner, and she was now suffering for it. She watched the rest of the race. Seeing the crash in front of Rei, she jumped to her feet and cheered for him. Watching him pass the works machines, she became jealous. That feeling quickly left when she felt the reassuring hand on her shoulder; the hand that was always there when she needed it, and had yet to let her down. Rei and the works were now in a head to head competition for first place. It almost seemed like the works would win, but Rei pulled ahead in the last ten meters. Kyoko jumped to her feet and screamed, completely forgetting about her finger. The pain seemed like nothing to the joy she felt that Rei had still managed to pull through for himself, even after his partner resigned. He deserves this, she thought as he crossed the line for first. Congratulations, Rei. Good work!  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Do I realize that these are very short? Why yes, I do! They're just quick little POVs that I write when I have nothing better to do. Have you all checked out my other MARS fic? Go do it, NOW! It's really good, and I'm going to keep writing it at will. It's my best written fic yet, so I'm proud of it. How about everyone who reads this not only reviews, but also petitions to get a MARS section on this website, huh? Let's do that, and look forward to the next chapter (volume 4, whoo)! 


	4. Shiori & Takemura

DISCLAIMER:  I'll hum a few bars about not owning MARS.  I wish that I had it, that's nothing new—and this is just for fun, so please don't sue!  Do you guys like my rhyming?  Maybe I'll write a MARS poem sometime!

AUTHOR'S NOTES:  Sorry for the lack of updates you guys!  I really meant to, I just never got around to it.  With the sixth book coming to me in a few days, I figured that I'd better do the fourth and fifth ones.  So here's number four—Shiori and Takemura!

Things Aren't the Way They Were Before by Sushifishie

Shiori threw her hands up in disgust.  She'd been sitting in her room for days and days and he still hadn't come.  Rei had yet to even check up on her.  She wondered if Takemura had asked Rei to come yet.  Maybe he hadn't—that would explain a lot.  But if he had, then why wasn't Rei coming?

            Rei loved Shiori, and she knew it.  If Sei hadn't gone and killed himself, wedding bells would have been ringing in a matter of months.  But now, Rei had hooked up with that hussy, Kira Aso.

            That girl had a split personality, and she was the one who forced Shiori into this room.  Although she put a sweet girl front up to Rei and his friends, she knew the truth.  She was nothing but a slut wearing modest clothing.

            How could Rei fall for such a girl?  Of course, it had been a matter of brainwashing.  She probably had some sort of technique to twist people around her bony little finger.  She wasn't even that pretty, so how could she get Rei?

            Turning onto her stomach, Shiori buried her face in her pillow.  She wouldn't let Kira take hold of her man.  Rei was hers to begin with.  Not only did he love her, but he couldn't live without her either.  Sei certainly couldn't—he killed himself because he couldn't be with her.  That meant that by keeping Rei away from her, Kira was forcing Rei to kill himself!

            If Rei did end up killing himself, though unlikely, Shiori would have to take all of the blame.  That's because all of Rei's new friends didn't see that slut for what she really was—they only saw the sweet innocent Kira.

            Clenching her fists, Shiori dug her nails into her palms.  Why did he even look at her in the first place?

            _Because she reminds him of Sei, she told herself, and she knew that it was true.  No longer did Rei have eyes for the one he clearly loved; now he could only see Kira, just Kira._

            Shiori narrowed her eyes.  If she ever by chance met up with that hussy, there were about a million things that she would like to say and do to that girl.  But the most important and the most impacting was to push her into the dirt and spit on her face.

            After that, she would hand her a ten dollar bill and say, "Rei wanted me to give this to you.  It's payment for all of your—" she'd pause—"services."

            Kira would run away crying and Rei wouldn't care, because he would finally see Kira for what she really was, just a slut—just and ordinary prostitute who can't get enough.

            Shiori grinned.  How sweet revenge would be!

* * *

As he picked up the phone, a trickle of sweat began to trace a line down Takemura's neck.  He breathed a deep breath and got up a little more courage, trying to ignore Shiori's prodding finger that was presently digging into his back.

      He shook as he punched in the numbers he'd rehearsed once already, hearing them beep as he pressed each one.  His finger hit the last digit and he slowly pulled the phone to his ear.  With Shiori hovering this closely, he was scared to make this call—he was talking to Rei's new girlfriend (or at least, he assumed she was his girlfriend; he'd thought that when he had seen the painting in the newspaper).

      Takemura heard the phone ringing on the other line, once, twice.  Then a female voice picked up.

      "Hello?" it asked, "is someone there?"

      "Uh, I'm Takemura from Seiwa Academy.  I'm looking for Kira Aso.  Can I please speak to her?" he asked, trying to sound calm.  Though his voice wavered a little, he thought that he sounded okay.

      "Hold on a moment," the voice replied.  He thought that it was probably Kira's mother.

      _"Kira!  You have a phone call!" he heard the voice yell.  "Someone named Takemura from __Seiwa__Academy__."_

      He shivered a little bit as he heard the other line get picked back up.  He took another breath and calmed himself down.

_      "Hello—" he heard a hesitant voice say._

_      "Hello," he replied quickly.  "My name's Takemura from the art club at __Seiwa__Academy__."  Getting to the point, he said, "I wanted to ask you about the painting you have in the Niki Gallery."_

_      "What!?" she asked, sounding surprised.  "Um—"_

_      "Oh—" Takemura caught himself.  "I'm sorry to be so abrupt—your art teacher, Ms. Kaneko, gave me your number.  Your painting, MARS, is that model Rei Kashino?"_

_      Kira sounded a little suspicious when she asked, "How do you know Rei?"_

      Shiori poked him lightly in the ribs, telling him to get on with it.  He just gasped a little, and continued talking.

      _"So it is Rei," he confirmed.  "Rei goes to your school then?_

_      "Um—yes," she said, sounding even more doubtful than before.  "What do you—"_

      Shiori gave me the throat cut-off sign, so I quickly began talking again.

      _"Thank you very much!" Takemura hung up._

      I confirmed everything that I'd just heard with Shiori.  She began rustling through a cluster of papers and came up with a flyer advertising a school fair for the school that Rei went to.  I picked it up and nodded.

      We were going to the fair!

AUTHOR'S NOTES:  Well, that was short again!  I just noticed that I've been writing these points of views in third person, but I don't want to switch to first, although that would be more appropriate.  Oh, well.  Also, I don't really like Takemura's point of view very much at all.  I basically just rewrote what I thought happened in the manga.  The only point I tried to make in this piece was my image of him as Shiori's servant.  I know that I'll be disagreed with on this, but it's how I imagine him.  I've got to go clean for Thanksgiving (cousins are coming) so I've got to stop writing now.  Hopefully I'll have chapter five out by next week.  Encourage me to post with your reviews!


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